We have arrived back in Italy. How is it that we managed to save the most expensive country for last? With a mere 46 days remaining on our sabbatical, reality is harsh. Even with a favourable exchange rate between the dollar and the Euro, Lynda is going to be in need of a summer job.
Venice...full of energy and life. We exited Italian Customs and Immigration and, armed with our twenty kuna map from Venezia Lines, headed over to the nearest vaporetto (water bus) stop. There was a lot of confusion about tickets, but we finally found a small convenience store where we were able to purchase a thirty-six hour transit pass. Onto vaporetto number 2 for a trip to the train station, then a switch to vaporetto number 1 and down the Grand Canal. It is a spectacular sight - boats and gondolas everywhere. We disembarked at the San Silvestro stop and attempted to use the payphone to call Mario, the host of our bed and breakfast. Easier said than done. Italian payphones are not straightforward. There were too many options (email, SMS, info etc.) and the instructions were all in Italian. Even with help from one of the locals, we were stymied. Eventually we figured it out. Mario arrived and he led us to "Residenza degli Angeli," a lovely home on a quiet street about ten minutes from the Rialto Bridge. .jpg)
Make no mistake about it, tourists are everywhere. Venice is a maze of narrow, European streets with canals and bridges thrown in to impede your progress. The most commonly overheard conversation has to do with "where are we?" and "Where are we trying to go?" The locals are easily distinguished from the tourists - they are the ones without the maps. Lucky for us, we are still on good terms. It wouldn't have taken much for Craig to lose Lynda here. After four days, she still couldn't find her way back to the bed and breakfast from two streets away.
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In a city where your only source of transportation is by boat, Craig was delighted. Taxi boats, delivery boats, moving company boats, garbage boats and the boats of young people (complete with boom boxes and fuzzy dice.) We watched the efficiency with which goods were distributed by boat, then cart to the final destination. Unlike the masses, we did not pay to go on a gondola ride. Our main goal was to avoid the crowds, so we walked and walked and walked some more. Yet in looking at our map, we barely covered 1/3 of the city's area. When we got too tired, we'd jump on the vaporetto, sit on a park bench or stop for a cappuccino. People watching in Venice can be a full-time job. We were highly amused by the street vendors, especially the guys selling knock-off purses. Their business is brisk, but they are watchful because they are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the police. .jpg)
The weather in Venice was quite changeable. Within a twenty-four hour period, we had sun, rain, thunder and lightning. Not that it dampened our spirits. The worst of the weather was in the evenings. We walked to the Piazza San Marco and had a look around, but we did not go into the Basilica or the Palazzo Ducale or any of the museums. The line-ups were long and we decided we would prefer not to pass our time that way. We did make a trip by vaporetto to Murano to see a demonstration of glass blowing. We wandered around the Pescaria (fish market) and the Rialto Market and ogled the wares. We lamented our inability to fill our shopping basket and go home and cook. On our last night in Venice, we attended the I Musici Veneziana performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was very fitting to be listening to such beautiful masterpieces in Vivaldi's hometown.
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Venice is definitely one of the most unique cities in the world and, a must-do, at least once in your life. We were thrilled to have seen it, but now we are on the move again. We have tickets on the 9:30 am Eurostar train to Florence. Once we get there, we have to make our way by bus to San Quirico in Collina where we are spending a week in luxury at "Le Torri." Lynda is looking forward to having WiFii access again. It's hard to do research and make travel arrangements when you are paying by the minute in an Internet cafe.
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Venice...full of energy and life. We exited Italian Customs and Immigration and, armed with our twenty kuna map from Venezia Lines, headed over to the nearest vaporetto (water bus) stop. There was a lot of confusion about tickets, but we finally found a small convenience store where we were able to purchase a thirty-six hour transit pass. Onto vaporetto number 2 for a trip to the train station, then a switch to vaporetto number 1 and down the Grand Canal. It is a spectacular sight - boats and gondolas everywhere. We disembarked at the San Silvestro stop and attempted to use the payphone to call Mario, the host of our bed and breakfast. Easier said than done. Italian payphones are not straightforward. There were too many options (email, SMS, info etc.) and the instructions were all in Italian. Even with help from one of the locals, we were stymied. Eventually we figured it out. Mario arrived and he led us to "Residenza degli Angeli," a lovely home on a quiet street about ten minutes from the Rialto Bridge. .jpg)
Make no mistake about it, tourists are everywhere. Venice is a maze of narrow, European streets with canals and bridges thrown in to impede your progress. The most commonly overheard conversation has to do with "where are we?" and "Where are we trying to go?" The locals are easily distinguished from the tourists - they are the ones without the maps. Lucky for us, we are still on good terms. It wouldn't have taken much for Craig to lose Lynda here. After four days, she still couldn't find her way back to the bed and breakfast from two streets away.
.jpg)
In a city where your only source of transportation is by boat, Craig was delighted. Taxi boats, delivery boats, moving company boats, garbage boats and the boats of young people (complete with boom boxes and fuzzy dice.) We watched the efficiency with which goods were distributed by boat, then cart to the final destination. Unlike the masses, we did not pay to go on a gondola ride. Our main goal was to avoid the crowds, so we walked and walked and walked some more. Yet in looking at our map, we barely covered 1/3 of the city's area. When we got too tired, we'd jump on the vaporetto, sit on a park bench or stop for a cappuccino. People watching in Venice can be a full-time job. We were highly amused by the street vendors, especially the guys selling knock-off purses. Their business is brisk, but they are watchful because they are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the police. .jpg)
The weather in Venice was quite changeable. Within a twenty-four hour period, we had sun, rain, thunder and lightning. Not that it dampened our spirits. The worst of the weather was in the evenings. We walked to the Piazza San Marco and had a look around, but we did not go into the Basilica or the Palazzo Ducale or any of the museums. The line-ups were long and we decided we would prefer not to pass our time that way. We did make a trip by vaporetto to Murano to see a demonstration of glass blowing. We wandered around the Pescaria (fish market) and the Rialto Market and ogled the wares. We lamented our inability to fill our shopping basket and go home and cook. On our last night in Venice, we attended the I Musici Veneziana performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was very fitting to be listening to such beautiful masterpieces in Vivaldi's hometown.
Venice is definitely one of the most unique cities in the world and, a must-do, at least once in your life. We were thrilled to have seen it, but now we are on the move again. We have tickets on the 9:30 am Eurostar train to Florence. Once we get there, we have to make our way by bus to San Quirico in Collina where we are spending a week in luxury at "Le Torri." Lynda is looking forward to having WiFii access again. It's hard to do research and make travel arrangements when you are paying by the minute in an Internet cafe.View More Photos
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